Street Gang

Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street is a narrative non-fiction book written by former TV Guide editor Michael Davis. The 384-page hardcover book focuses on the development and rise of Sesame Street as an influential children's show and pop culture staple.

The project was first announced in passing in trade journals in March 2006; one such article claimed that "a dozen of New York’s top publishers [were] eager to get their hands this week on the story of how Sesame Street emerged as the iconic program that shaped the minds of countless kiddies around the globe."[1] The book was released by Viking Press in December 2008. Author Michael Davis has confirmed that the book is the result of completing more than 200 interviews over the course of five years. [2]

The book's back cover features an endorsement by puppeteer Frank Oz, who says:

“

What I appreciate about Michael Davis' new book on Sesame Street is the depth of his research and how he spotlights those people who deserve to have more light shed upon them for their great contributions to the show. And what's refreshing is how he does not run away from conflicts that sometimes occurred behind the scenes, which were part of the creative energy of the show. He has really captured the spirit of how Sesame Street came to be. A wonderful book.

Audio book

Caroll Spinney in the studio recording the Street Gang audio book.

Viking Press originally published the book on December 26, 2008, while Listen & Live Audio released an audio version of the book narrated by Caroll Spinney on the same day.[3] The nine-hour reading was released as a 7-disc CD set and as a digital download. The reading was originally advertised to have been unabridged, however the final product has been slightly abridged. Recording for the project occurred in early November 2008 at a studio in Manhattan.[3] The audiobook also features an exclusive hour-long interview of Caroll Spinney by author Michael Davis on the final disc in the set. The interview was also made available as a standalone audio download from Listen & Live's online store[4]

A library edition of the audiobook was released in September 2009, containing the unabridged version read by Spinney.[5] It is published by Playaway/Findaway World Llc (ISBN13: 9781615748099,
ISBN: 1615748091).

Second edition

A second edition of the book was released in paperback on October 27, 2009. The second edition apparently corrects errors present in the first edition (Davis hired an independent fact checker).[6] The second edition was to have featured an additional chapter covering the casting of Roscoe Orman as the show's third Gordon, among other topics.[7] An excerpt of the chapter can be read on the official Street Gang website, StreetGangBook.com, but this chapter does not appear in the final product.

Michael Davis appeared at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on January 6, 2009 to talk about the book.[11]

Michael Davis appeared at the Harvard Bookstore (Harvard University; Boston, MA) on January 8, 2009; Greetings & Readings (Baltimore, MD) on January 10, 2009; the University of Pennsylvania (Barnes & Noble; Philadelphia, PA) on January 27, 2009; the Gershman Y (Philadelphia, PA) on January 28, 2009; and Books by the Bay (Lewes, DE) and Browseabout Books (Rehobeth Beach, DE) on February 18, 2009; Regulator Bookshop (Durham, NC) on April 24, 2009; Barnes & Noble (Huntersville, NC) on April 25, 2009; Atlanta Fulton County Library (Atlanta, GA) on April 27, 2009; Books and Books (Coral Gables, FL) on April 29, 2009; and Inkwood Books (Tampa, FL) on April 30, 2009. Davis is also scheduled to appear at Sarasota New & Books (Sarasota, FL) on May 1, 2009; Touro Synagogue (Newport, RI) on May 31, 2009; Books on the Square (Providence, RI) on August 15, 2009; and Doylestown Bookshop (Doylestown, PA) on September 12, 2009.[12][13]

C-SPAN 2 program Book TV aired a program on January 24, 2009 (10:00pm), featuring a 90-minute discussion with Michael Davis.[14]

Michael Davis and Roscoe Orman appeared on Oprah & Friends Radio with Dr. Mehmet Oz (XM-Sirius Radio Channel 195) on February 18, 2009 to promote the book and discuss parenting and children's television.

Reviews

“

Davis spent five years reporting and writing the story of the longest-running children's show in TV history, which was the brainchild of Jim Henson, the late Muppets creator, and entrepreneur Joan Ganz Cooney. Davis refers to the show as "a confluence of genius" and dubs Henson "wondrously human.

the author’s swift narrative—the product of hundreds of interviews—is essentially a Dumpster dive into Oscar’s trash can of cast stories (particularly entertaining is Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo) and even public controversy (Davis gives a great analysis of discussions surrounding Bert and Ernie’s sexuality). It’s a sensitive, honest account that could jog fond memories even from the amnesiac Street denizen Forgetful Jones.

Davis tracks down every “Sesame” anec­dote and every “Sesame” personality in his book, and the result is more an oral history than a tightly organized narrative. The development of the show’s characters, as well as the performers’ own lives, can be illuminating... Davis has written a tireless if not altogether artful history of this unique place. Here, finally, we get to touch Big Bird’s feathers.

Davis, a veteran journalist at publications like TV Guide, culls insights from the show's creators and cast to serve up this painstakingly detailed history of television's most famous address. He writes as an unabashed fan of the show's charms rather than as a dispassionate historian, and the approach yields mixed results.

Now viewed as an American institution, Sesame Street revolutionized children's television when it debuted in 1969. Journalist Davis, who wrote for TV Guide for 10 years, traces the ups and downs of the longest-running children's television show, airing in more than 120 countries... Anyone who has ever seen Sesame Street, as parent or child -- or both -- will love the detail and exuberance of this book.

One criticism of "Sesame Street" is that it is too episodic; another is that the segments are too short. "Street Gang" has the same problem. Davis is everywhere, from 1958 to 2008 and back again. He expounds on topics such as Woodstock and children of divorce... The book fails to maintain the same clear purpose and focus so important to the show it tries to describe.

Some of the best passages in Street Gang recount behind-the-scenes stories... Davis seems quick to repeat every positive claim ever made about "Sesame Street," from singer and frequent guest-star Judy Collins's recollection that the show gave her "a spark, a will to live" during her boozy years in the '70s to a public broadcasting honcho's assertion that "This is the most important thing since the discovery of the atom bomb."

Errata

The following errors persisted in the paperback second edition of the book:

On page 1, Davis misstates the year that Frank Oz joined Muppets, Inc.: "Sitting nearby was Frank Oz, who in 1969—Sesame's debut year—became a Henson protégé, having joined the Muppets right out of high school." On page 84, however, Davis states the year correctly as "six months after Sahlin's arrival," i.e. 1963.

In chapter 5, page 80, Davis writes "Down the years, Jane Henson has steadfastly held that the name [Muppet] was derived as an amalgam of 'marionette' and 'puppet.'" A similar claim appears in the 1993 book Jim Henson: The Works, which Davis references six times in the chapter. However, a 2003 Washington Post article cited Jane Henson's thoughts on the subject: "Puppeteer Jane Henson said her husband just liked the word."[22]

On page 244, Davis gives a mistaken explanation of the term "right handing" (sometimes referred to as"doing right hands" or "working right hands"): "The inglorious but necessary task of operating the rod that controls the arm of a character that is not being manipulated by the main performer is called 'working the right hand.'" Although this is occasionally true, "right handing" is typically used in reference to live-hand Muppets rather than hand-rod Muppets.

Pages 246-247 talk about the evolution of Cookie Monster, stating that the character's personality was determined after a game show sketch ended with him choosing a cookie as a prize. However, Cookie Monster did not appear in that sketch (the monster who did appear was Beautiful Day Monster).